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The study was designed to assess the possibility of using circulating miRNAs (serum miRNAs) as diagnostic biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC) and to identify their possibility as candidates for targeted therapy. The study involved two sample sets: 1- a training set which included 90 patients with colorectal related disease (30 with CRC, 18 with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), 18 with colonic polyps (CP) and 24 with different colonic symptoms but without any colonoscopic abnormality who were enrolled as control group) and 2- a validation set which included 100 CRC patients. Serum miRNAs were extracted from all subjects to assess the expression profiles for the following miRNAs (miR-17, miR-18a, miR-19a, miR-19b, miR-20a, miR-21, miR-146a, miR-223, miR-24, miR-454, miR-183, miR-135a, miR- 135b and miR- 92a) using the custom miScript miRNA PCR-based sybergreen array. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the studied miRNAs for colorectal cancer diagnosis. Data analysis of miRNA from the training set showed that; compared to control group, only miR-19b was significantly up-regulated in patients with IBD group (fold change = 5.24, p = 0.016), whereas in patients with colonic polyps, miR-18a was significantly up-regulated (fold change = 3.49, p-value = 0.018). On the other hand, miR-17, miR-19a, miR-20a and miR-223 were significantly up-regulated (fold change = 2.35, 3.07, 2.38 and 10.35; respectively and p-value = 0.02, 0.015, 0.017 and 0.016; respectively in CRC patients. However, the validation set showed that only miR-223 was significantly up-regulated in CRC patients (fold change = 4.06, p-value = 0.04). Aberrant miRNA expressions are highly involved in the cascade of colorectal carcinogenesis. We have found that (miR-17, miR-19a, miR-20a and miR-223) could be used as diagnostic biomarkers for CRC. On the other hand, miR-19b and miR-18a could be used as diagnostic biomarkers for CP and IBD respectively.

Background Genome-wide association studies have identified 196 high confidence independent signals associated with breast cancer susceptibility. Variants within these signals frequently fall in distal regulatory DNA elements that control gene expression. Results We designed a Capture Hi-C array to enrich for chromatin interactions between the credible causal variants and target genes in six human mammary epithelial and breast cancer cell lines. We show that interacting regions are enriched for open chromatin, histone marks for active enhancers, and transcription factors relevant to breast biology. We exploit this comprehensive resource to identify candidate target genes at 139 independent breast cancer risk signals and explore the functional mechanism underlying altered risk at the 12q24 risk region. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the power of combining genetics, computational genomics, and molecular studies to rationalize the identification of key variants and candidate target genes at breast cancer GWAS signals.

Background Genetic variants identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are predominantly non-coding and typically attributed to altered regulatory elements such as enhancers and promoters. However, the contribution of non-coding RNAs to complex traits is not clear. Results Using targeted RNA sequencing, we systematically annotated multi-exonic non-coding RNA (mencRNA) genes transcribed from 1.5-Mb intervals surrounding 139 breast cancer GWAS signals and assessed their contribution to breast cancer risk. We identify more than 4000 mencRNA genes and show their expression distinguishes normal breast tissue from tumors and different breast cancer subtypes. Importantly, breast cancer risk variants, identified through genetic fine-mapping, are significantly enriched in mencRNA exons, but not the promoters or introns. eQTL analyses identify mencRNAs whose expression is associated with risk variants. Furthermore, chromatin interaction data identify hundreds of mencRNA promoters that loop to regions that contain breast cancer risk variants. Conclusions We have compiled the largest catalog of breast cancer-associated mencRNAs to date and provide evidence that modulation of mencRNAs by GWAS variants may provide an alternative mechanism underlying complex traits.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of using the genre-based approach for developing EFL writing skills among Faculty of Education students. The participants of the study included (50) students (the experimental and control group) enrolled at the English section at Faculty of Education, Benha University. The instruments of the study included EFL writing skills checklist required for third year students, an EFL writing skills test, and an analytic rubric for scoring it. The study followed the two groups (control and experimental) pre-posttest design. After implementing the genre based approach, the instrument was re-administered to both groups. The results were statistically analyzed and revealed that the experimental groups' EFL writing skills were developed as a result of using the genre-based approach. It is recommended that the genre-based approach can be used in different educational stages for developing EFL writing skills.

This art-informed study explored how intentionally shifting the artmaking process to begin at the perceptual and affective levels of the Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) influenced an entry-level art therapist’s experience of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The researcher, who experienced anxiety herself, conducted four self-directed research artmaking sessions using watercolor and Robinson’s (2020) Zen-tangle-based doodling. She noted the influence of sensory engagement, structured repetition, and material choices on her experiences of emotional regulation and self-awareness. Data gathered included four artworks, reflective journaling, and analytic memos, which were analyzed to identify emergent patterns. Four key themes emerged: structure as a container for freedom; role of materials in emotional regulation; integration of artist and therapist identities; and reduction of anxiety through repetition. Findings suggest that beginning with sensory and affective processing supported grounding, flow, and reflective self-supervision for the study participant. Such findings provide insights that may be applied in personal practice and that may have clinical applications when working with anxious clients. Limitations of the study included the use of a single participant, short-term engagement, and restricted media. Future studies should expand samples, media, and sequencing variations to inform evidence-based art-therapy interventions.

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of systemic functional grammar approach in developing EFL written grammar skills and reducing the EFL writing anxiety among student teachers at the Faculty of Education. The participants of this study included (50) students (control and experimental group) enrolled in the English section at Faculty of Education, Benha University. The instruments of the study included an EFL grammar skills test, and an EFL writing anxiety scale. The study followed adopted the two groups (control and experimental) pre-post nonequivalent control group design. The dependent variables were measured before and after the experiment for both groups. The results were statistically analyzed and revealed that \"there is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the control group and that of the experimental group in the post-assessment of the EFL written grammar skills test in favor of the experimental group, where the t-value is (8.751), which is significant at the (0.01) level of significance. Also, the results revealed that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the control group and that of the experimental group in the post-assessment of the overall EFL writing anxiety scale in favor of the experimental group, where the t-value is (7.262), which is significant at the 0.01 level of significance. Therefore experimental groups' EFL written grammar skills were developed and their writing anxiety was reduced as a result of using the systemic functional grammar approach. It is recommended that a systemic functional grammar approach should be embedded in different educational stages to develop EFL student teachers' written grammar skills and reduce their writing anxiety.

The aim of the study was to develop Faculty of Education students' EFL fluency skills using the multimodal approach. The participants of the study were 50 second year students enrolled in the English section at the Benha Faculty of Education in Qalubia governorate. The instrument of the present study was a EFL speaking fluency test as pre-posttest and an analytic rubric for scoring it. The test was administrated before implementing the multimodal approach to determine the study participants' level in the EFL fluency skills. Then, the test was re-administrated to investigate the effectiveness of the multimodal approach in developing the second year students' EFL fluency skills. Results revealed that the multimodal approach had a positive effect on developing the participants' EFL fluency skills. It was also recommended that using the multimodal approach is effective in developing the four language skills in general so it should be used in different educational stages for developing the language learning in general.

Introduction Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome contains two envelope proteins (E1 and E2) responsible for the virus entry into the cell. There is a substantial lack of sequences covering the full length of E1/E2 region for genotype 4. Our study aims at providing new sequences as well as characterizing the genetic divergence of the E1/E2 region of HCV 4a using our new sequences along with all publicly available datasets. Methods The genomic segments covering the whole E1/E2 region were isolated from Egyptian HCV patients and sequenced. The resulting 36 sequences 36 were analyzed using sequence analysis techniques to study variability within and among hosts in the same time point. Furthermore, previously published HCV E1/E2 sequence datasets for genotype 4a were retrieved and categorized according to the geographical location and date of isolation and were used for further analysis of variability among Egyptian over a period of 15 years, also compared with non-Egyptian sequences to figure out region-specific variability. Results Phylogenetic analysis of the new sequences has shown variability within the host and among different individuals in the same time point. Analysis of the 36 sequences along with the Egyptian sequences (254 sequences in E1 in the period from 1997 to 2010 and 8 E2 sequences in the period from 2006 to 2010) has shown temporal change over time. Analysis of the new HCV sequences with the non-Egyptian sequences (182 sequences in E1 and 155 sequences in the E2) has shown region specific variability. The molecular clock rate of E1 was estimated to be 5E-3 per site per year for Egyptian and 5.38E-3 for non-Egyptian. The clock rate of E2 was estimated to be 8.48E per site per year for Egyptian and 6.3E-3 for non-Egyptian. Conclusion The results of this study support the high rate of evolution of the Egyptian HCV genotype 4a. It has also revealed significant level of genetic variability among sequences from different regions in the world.

Genome-wide association studies have identified 196 high confidence independent signals associated with breast cancer susceptibility. Variants within these signals frequently fall in distal regulatory DNA elements that control gene expression. We designed a Capture Hi-C array to enrich for chromatin interactions between the credible causal variants and target genes in six human mammary epithelial and breast cancer cell lines. We show that interacting regions are enriched for open chromatin, histone marks for active enhancers and transcription factors relevant to breast biology. We exploit this comprehensive resource to identify candidate target genes at 139 independent breast cancer risk signals, and explore the functional mechanism underlying altered risk at the 12q24 risk region. Our results demonstrate the power of combining genetics, computational genomics and molecular studies to rationalize the identification of key variants and candidate target genes at breast cancer GWAS signals.